• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Here’s Why Square’s Shares Are Up Today

By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 2, 2016, 2:00 PM ET
Thurgood Marshall College Fund 28th Annual Awards Gala
CEO of Twitter and Square Jack Dorsey accepts the award for CEO of the Year onstage during the Thurgood Marshall College Fund 28th Annual Awards Gala at Washington Hilton on November 21, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images for Thurgood Marshall College Fund)Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images for Thurgood Marshall College Fund

Shares in payments company Square rose as much as 5% on Friday after Deutsche Bank upgraded its stock to a buy from hold.

A Deutsche Bank analyst wrote in a note on Friday morning that Square’s business model—based largely on selling credit card readers that connect to mobile phones and tablets—is “underappreciated by the street.” Square is “currently at an important inflection point as it turns towards profitability while maintaining industry leading growth rates,” the analyst said.

In addition to credit card readers, Square provides merchants with software services such as invoicing, scheduling, and loans. The company went public a year ago at $9 per share during what remains a relatively slow market for tech IPOs.

Initially, Square’s shares fluctuated between $12 and $13.50. But over the summer of this year, its shares nose-dived to around $8 after disappointing earnings and concerns about the company’s lending business, Square Capital.

There is also concern about whether CEO Jack Dorsey, who also leads beleaguered social media company Twitter, will remain CEO of both companies.

But after a better than expected earnings report in its most recent quarter, Square’s shares have risen from their summer slump. Based on the positive Deutsche Bank note on Friday, they rose as much as 5% to $13.27 in mid-day trading.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

In its most recent earnings, Square’s losses narrowed to $32.3 million from $53.9 million in the same quarter a year ago. The investment bank also called attention to the company’s better than expected revenue growth over the previous quarters, especially in hardware and software services. Overall revenue jumped 32.2% to $439 million in the third quarter from $332.2 million a year earlier.

For more on Square, watch:

Additionally, Square has been able to add to the number of larger merchants using its payments services. Square said the number of these merchants, defined as those with at least $125,000 in annual payments volume, grew 55% in the third quarter. They now represent nearly half of Square’s gross payment volume.

Deutsche Bank pointed to growth in Square’s lending business as a promising sign. In the third quarter, Square lent businesses $208 million, up 70% from the same quarter in 2015.

But Deutsche Bank also warns that Square faces considerable competition in payments from established companies like PayPal, and that it could depress growth. There’s also the possibility that Square will be unable to reach profitability because of other increased costs, such as sales and marketing expenses, according to the bank.

About the Author
By Leena Rao
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Startups & VentureDefense
A turning point at the Pentagon: Anduril’s new mega‑deal rewrites the rules for Silicon Valley—and raises new risks
By Jessica MathewsMarch 22, 2026
43 minutes ago
gen z
CommentaryGen Z
Gen Z is using ChatGPT to practice salary negotiations and tough conversations before they happen
By Phillip MillerMarch 22, 2026
2 hours ago
AIthe future of work
AI may be helping more people start their own businesses, but without many employees
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 22, 2026
4 hours ago
AIFinance
Meet the CFO who turned Adobe’s finance department into an AI lab
By Sheryl EstradaMarch 22, 2026
5 hours ago
AIOpenAI
OpenAI plans to almost double its headcount this year, FT says
By Liza Tetley and BloombergMarch 21, 2026
13 hours ago
Politicsarms, weapons, and defense
The U.S. has the world’s most advanced military, but the unforgiving economics of wars in Iran and Ukraine show quantity has a quality all its own 
By Jason MaMarch 21, 2026
14 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.